Apparatus foe cash carriers



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet l.

D. H. RICE; APPARATUS FOR CASH CARRIERS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

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(N0 Model. 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

. D. H. RICE. APPARATUS FOR CASH CARRIERS.

No. 313,370. Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

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(No Model.)

5 Sheets$heet 4. D. H. RICE.

APPARATUS FOR CASH CARRIERS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1885 N, prrzns, Fhnmblhagnpher. Washington. 0,0.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets- Sh eet 5.

D. H. RIGR. APPARATUS FOR CASH CARRIERS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT @rrr cn DAVID HALL RICE, OF LOWVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR CASH-CARR! ERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,370, dated March 3,1885.

Application filed January 20, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID HALL RICE, of Lowell, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Systems of and for Cash-Carriers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My improvement relates to cash-carrier systems; and it consists ofcertain combinations of the parts of carriers and tracks therefor, andof elevating and receiving devices therewith, constituting a more simpleand complete system for the sending and delivery of small parcels,substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a track and its carrierdelivery mechanism with a carrier passing thereover. Fig. 2 is a sectiontransversely through the line C O of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan viewof Fig. 1, with the parts below the dotted line B B removed. Fig. 4 is aside view similar to Fig. 1, showing the carrier in the act of passingdown through the track and being transported to the track below by thetransferring mechanism. Fig. 5 is an end view from theleft-hand side ofFig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the track alone from the samepoint, showing the mechanism which operates the deliverysection of theformer in one position, and when adjusted to pass a carrier over itwithout delivering it through the track. Fig. 7 is a similar view toFig. 6, with the parts in position to deliver the carrier through thetrack into a basket or other similar receptacle, substituted in lieu ofthe parts below the lineB Bin Fig. 1.

A A is the track, composed of two rods or tubes of metal secured inframes 1) b, which may be either supported on posts and brackets orsuspended from the ceiling of the room, as desired. Two stay-rods, A Aalso run the whole length of the track, to give additional stability tothe frames 1) 1).

Between the brackets or frames 1) 5, (shown in Fig. 1,) or any twosimilar frames, a section, I) b, of each rail Ais cut out, as clearlyshown 1 n Fig. 3, and to this section, near each end, 1s attached ashort arm, I) If, pivoted in the sides of the brackets or frames 1) b bypivots parallel with the track-rails, (marked 1) b When the sections 1)b of rails A A are held in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6,thereforethat is, so as to register with the rails-a carrier providedwith proper wheels to fit the track, and of suitable breadth, will passover the sections and onto the track beyond; but when the sections 1) bare allowed to drop and turn upon the pivots b 11 or so supported thatthe weight of the carrier will cause them to so turn, then they will bedrawn from under the wheels of the carrier, and the latter will dropthrough the track and be caught in a suitable receptacle or transportingmechanism,to be delivered to a person beneath or upon another track, asdesired. In like manner, when the sections 1) b are in the positionshown in Fig. 6, a carrier may be introduced by hand or on a suit-ableelevator, in position to have the wheels parallel with the sections andcome in contact with them beneath, when by pressing upward on thecarrier the sections will swing upward on their pivots and allow it topass through to a position above the track, when the sections will dropback under. its wheels, and the carrier be dropped upon them and rolloff upon the track A beyond.

0 is the carrier,fitted to run upon the track A. The body part has uponits opposite sides two countersunk cylindrical depressions of sufficientdiameter and depth to receive the flange of the wheel within each,leaving an overlapping portion of the body all around 0, to protect theflange of the wheel from injury if the carrier should be dropped inhandling it. The wheels run freely on the pivots c, which have theirends countersunk in the outer face of the wheel,to allow the carrier todescend through between the track-sections b 1) without being caught orcausing undue friction. The bottom part of the body of the carrierdepends between the rails A A, and has formed in it from below upward achamber, into which is inserted a cup, 0, the latter being held in placeby any suitable spring catch or look of wellknown form. This cup is tocontain the cash .or parcel to be carried.

As shown in Fig. 3, the tread part of the 'of the substance known asleatheroid, or

fiber which has no resonant quality, and avoids the ringingsoundproduced by metal or wooden wheels in traversing a track.

In order to hold the wheel track-sections b b in position registeringwith the track-rails A A, I employ the following mechanism, although itis obvious that a great variety of latch mechanisms may be used for thepurpose: Upon the track-supporting frame b on the end of thetrack-sections b b upon which the car rier first enters, the track beingproperly inclined for the purpose, I pivot two right-angled levers, d d,provided upon their lower ends with ca1n-shaped ends d d, which projectinwardly under the rail-sections b b, as shown, the pivots d d of thelevers being nearly in a vertical line above these ends. The arms of thelevers d d on the opposite sides of the track project inward over thepath of the carrier directly toward each other until they meet'within,say, one-eighth of an inch of each other, with a block of metal, d,placed between them, the ends of the arms, or some considerable part ofthem where they abut against this metal block, being above a right linepassing through the centers of piv- So long, therefore, as the block orkey d is between the adjacent ends of the levers d d, they cannotapproach each other nearer, and the cam-shaped opposite ends d d will befirmly held under the rail-sections b b, and retain the latter fromswinging downward out of line with the rails A A. While in this positiona carrier may be passed angular in cross-section, which projectsvertically upward and passes through the sleeve d attached to the frameb, fitting the sleeve so as to move up and down freely, and having across-pin, d so placed as to limit its downward movement. To the lowerside of the block d is attached an arm, d extending above and parallelto the rails A A, and just over the path of the body part of the carrierin the direction from which it approaches the drop mechanism. The lowerside of this arm, at the end where it is first met by the carrier, isbeveled upward, and it projects in the opposite direction from the blockd from that above described. On top of the carrier, intended to passthrough this particular drop, is placed a projection, 0 in such aposition as to come in contact with the arm d just before the carrierreaches the rail-sections b b, and lift it and the block d upward frombetween the ends of levers d (Z. Passing along under shaped spring, (1has its ends attached to the outside of the levers d d,.as shown, andcompresses them together with sufficient force to cause their cam ends(1 d to return the railsections b b into line with the rails A A, whenthe block d drops in between the other ends of the levers and locks themin place until again raised by the carrier. In case a carrier is to passover the rail-sections b b, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, its projection 0is placed so as to pass to one side of the lever d, and thecorresponding lever of the drop mechanism at its station is placed inthe path of its pro jection. Thus each carrier will pass over the dropmechanism of every station except its own and automatically deliveritself there.

In Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5 is shown a transfer mechanism for conveying thecarrier to another track after it passes through between rail-sections bb. Tubular extensions 6 e are secured to the frames b b, extendingvertically downward, and framed together at their lower ends by bars 66. Upon these extensions four sleeves, e c, slide freely up and down.

Directly underneath the rail-sections b b and rails A A two rails ofsimilar size and shape in cross-section, 6 0 are rigidly attached byshort bent arms to the sleeves e e, and cross bars 6 e, also attached tothe sleeves, unite the whole into afirm rectangular frame sliding up anddown with the sleeves. Collars e e on the rods 6 0 limit the movementsof the sleeves e" e"'at top and bottom. The upper collars, 6 6 are fixedat such a height on the rods that when the sleeves ee abut against themthe receiving and transfer rails e 6 will lie just below the path of therail-sections b b, turning on their pivots 1) b and, therefore, when theweight of the carrier forces the latter to turn from beneath the wheelsthe latter will have but a very slight distance to descend upon the samepath before it will reach the rails e2 e and the carrier is moreoverobliged to descend in this path upon the rails e e by the compression ofthe spring d acting upon levers d d, and rail-sections b b pressingagainst the opposite flat wheels and faces of the carrier-sides and,keeping it true and from rolling on the rails e 0 when it reaches them.The sleeves e e are held up against the collars e e by counter-weights e6, attached to cords passing over pulleys E E and attached to the otherends to said sleeves. These counter-weights'will hold the sleeves andrails e e in this position when no carrier is thereon; but when thecarrier descends upon the rails 6 e as described, its superior weightcauses the rails and sleeves to descend until the latter come in contactwith the lower collars, e a. At this instant the rails e e haveregistered with the rails of another track, A

ICC

A, and the carrier, having descended below the rail-sections b b, isreleased from their compression upon its sides, and they return toposition in line with rails A A. The carrier being thus released rollsoff upon the rails A A, and the rails e e and sleeves e 6 return totheir upper position; This transfer device differs from an ordinaryswitch in employing a supplemental set of rails, having no connectionwith and forming no part of the main track, to receive and transfer thecarrier to the other track, and also in conducting the carrier to andplacing it upon said supple mental rails by spring-guides, which hold ituntil it has reached the position to be delivered upon the other track.

Instead of the rails e a a basket or other similar receptacle may beattached to the sleeves e 0 and the rails A A dispensed with, if it bedesired to merely deliver the carrier to an attendant beneath, anddeliver the carrier into a receptacle instead of upon the rails, as itis evident that the carrier would roll off the latter after fallingbelow the rails A A.

I make no claim herein to such combinations of elevating devices orreceptacles with the pivoted rail-sections, as I am about to make otherapplications for Letters Patent claiming such features relating to themas may be patentable.

What I claim as new and of my invention 1s 1. In combinationwith adouble-wheel carrier-track, A A, two track-sections, b b, suspended uponpivots b b, placed parallel to the track, and adapted to be revolvedthereon to remove or replace the carrier upon the track, substantiallyas described.

2. In combination with the double-wheel carrier-track A A, the twotrack-sections b" b, suspended upon pivots b I), placed parallel to thetrack and with relation to the carrier-wheels,to permit the weight ofthe carrier e and the track A A, substantially as described.

4. In a cash-carrier, the combination, with the wheel 0 of the bodyprovided with an annular projecting flange, c, overlapping andprotecting the flange of the wheel all around the same, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, with the track A A, of the track-sections b b,pivoted longitudinally therein, the bent pivoted leversd d, supportingsaid track-sections at one end and projecting toward each other at theother, and the key-block d fitting between said adjacent ends,substantially as described.

6. In combination with the track A A, the rail-sections b b, pivotedtherein parallel to said track, movable bars or shelves d d,placedthereunder, the bard, placed within the carrier-path and in position tobe struck and moved by the carrier, and intervening mechanism connectingsaid bar to said shelves, whereby its movement will release the latterfrom beneath said rail-sections and permit them to revolve out of orinto line with the track, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the track A A, the track A A", thetransferring-rails e e, registering with the latter, and the yieldingsections 1) b, acting as spring-pressure guides to transfer the carrierfrom track A A to track and rails 6 0 substantially as described.

8. The combination of the track A A, the rail-sections b b, pivotedparallel thereto, their supporting pivoted levers d d, and the spring (1said levers having cam-shaped faces bearing against said sections,whereby the same are returned to a position in line with said track,substantially as described.

9. The combination of the track A A, and the yielding sections or railsb b, acting upon the sides of the carrier as spring-pressure guides orchecks as it drops from the tracks A A and passes downward between them,substantially as described.

DAVID HALL Bron.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM P. BLAKE, N. P. OOKINGTON.

